Tent



' oct. 9, 192s. 1,686,507

F. R. BARBOUR TENT Filed April 15, 1926 Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

UNITED STATES 'FRED B.; BARBOUILOF I JOS ANGrELES, CALIFORNIA.

i TENT.

Application filed .April 15, 1926. Serial No. 102,257.

This invention I.relates to .tents and more particularly to tent supports.

The `general object ,of the inventionis tov provide atent support which will efectively .5,l support a tent without the use of a center pole. .A more particular object is to provide a tent support of the character stated which may bereadily'collapsed and foldedup conipa'ctly for storage orvshipping.

A `further obfect is to, provide means for supporting a tentwith or withouta .Center ole. p `Other objects vwillappear.ast-he description progresses' i l M; invention is illustrat-ed in the annexed drawing ,which forms a .part of thisspec'tication, and in which A Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical ,section of a tent supported by ,my support. 2 is a vertical Sectional .view of a -tent taken at .right ,angles Lto Fig. 1, with certain elements ofniy support removed and showing the .remaining element `and a center pole in full lines .connected thereto in the center e thereof for supportingr the tent, and showing said center lpole in dotted linesconnectedto one side kof said reinaini-npelement .for,s.up porting' the tent whilemy support is being set .up vin place or taken down. 30.L v Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of the bridge e'lementofmy support. y.

Fig. 4 .is fa fragmentary vertical .sectional view 'of my 4support .taken onfline 4 4 of .3. VFig. isaai'sideyiew .Lof the'bridge element of-my support folded .up for storage orship- 1n p .Crresponding .reference numerals designate thefsame ,parts in all `.the views.l l

1n the vdrawing 1 vand 2 `indicate the .side walls, 3 and 4 the .front and rear walls; and 5 the Atop :of a flat-top tent.; there `being a top frame .6 -upon which the top 5 rests, which frame ,comprises pair. .0f upwardly .bowed rafters 7andj8, 'fupon which thefront and .rear edges of thjctop 5 .reSt,.-and va p.eak{bar 9 upon which the peak of the top rests,.said bar being connected at fits ends to the rafters' and .8

midwaybetween the lendsof V'said ,rafters i andy l A .exten-dine under .the itop from the vfront yto the rear rof the tent. "The ,parts `above described .arecommon toa standard flat tcp tent.

VMy support comprises a saddle element r10., Y. secured to the under side of the peak bar 9 in the eenterfthereof 5 abridge element 11 which tits in said saddle, and -a pair ofpoles 12 and 13, Vupon the upper ends of which poles lrest the ends respectively, of said 'bridge element, the lower ends of the poles resting upon ythe vgreund vor floor ,of the itent, and "the poles vbeing located within the tent adjacent the side walls 1 and 2thereof respectively.

The saddle element 10 comprises a saddle 14 and a pair of arms `15 and lextending forwardly and rearwardly respectively, with relation to' said saddle. The saddle element maybe made ofa single piece-'of sheet metal bent downwardly at right angles .at 17 and ,18 to form the upperhorizontal wall 19 andthe dependingvertical side walls 2O .and y21 of the saddle, and `then bent .upwardly from k.the lower edges of said side walls in the form of angle vbraces 22 and 23, and lthen bent forwardly and rearwardly from the :upper .ends of said braces respectively toform the arms 15-and 16. y

l The saddle element 10 is provided with a central openingI 24,in lthe upper saddle wall 19, .and with an. opening 25 inthe forward arm 15. The-saddle element ,is secured to the under side ofthe peak `bar 9 by means of screws 26 and 27 driven .through apertures 28 and 29 in the arms 15 and 16 respectively-fl.' with the saddle 14 .fa-ciner downwardly and the upper saddle wall 1.9 `and the arms 15 and l'resting against the under side of said bar, -and with the openings 24 and 25 fin registration with socketsl 30 and 3.1' in the under side `of the bar, thesocket 30 and aperture 24 being located midway of the ends` of the bar 9 in the center of the top 5 and the I tent, and the socket 31 and Aaperture 25 being;` located forwardly of the center of the top Vand tent.

The bridge element-'211 comprises a head 9 35 vand a pair of bridge'beams 36 and 37. The head 35is channel shaped`,.being .formed with jan upper Vwall V88 and with depending side walls '39 and 40, the under side of the upper wall being inclined slightlydownwardly as indicated at 4.1,and 42 from a point 48 midway of the ends of the head -to its, ends yrespectively.v The inner ends of the bridgebeamsf and '37 fit! within the channel. ofthe head 35 between .the `side walls .39 and 40, the beam 3.6 being securedv to the Vupper wall`38 against theinclined under Surface 41 thereof by screws 44, whereby the beamvis positioned at an inclination".corresponding vbridge elem-ent 11 ofmy suppoit are removed,

one ofsaid poles 12 or 13 may be used as al upper and inner ends of the beams 3G and 37 are hinged together on their under sides by a hinge 45, so that the beam 37 may be swung up against the under surface 42 of the upper wall 38 into operativeposition at an inclination corresponding to said surface, or swung downwardly against the beam 36 in collapi-ed` position for storing or shipping. (See Fig. 5.)

The head is formed with a projection 46 on its upper side in the `center thereof. Openings 47 and V43 are provided in the outer' ends of the beams 36 and 37 respectively. The head '35 iits within the saddle 14, withthe upper wall 38 of the head against the upper saddle Wall 19 and the projectienf46 in theV opening 24, and with theside walls 39 andi 40 of the head against the side walls 20and 21 of thev saddle, the engagenfient of the projection 46 with the opening 24 holding the head in the saddle against longitudinal'displacement-therein. rIhe openings 47 and 43 receive the pins 49 and 50 in the upper ends of` the poles 12y and 13, whereby the ends of the bridge beams 36 and 37 r,are prevented from sliding koii said poles.

. My support may be readily removed by withdrawing the polepins 49 and 50 out of the openings 47 and48 in thel beams 36 and 37 and withdrawing the head 35 from the saddle 14. The bridge element llmay then be folded up compactly by swinging the beams36 and 37 together on theirhinges 45 as shown in Fig. 5. f

The saddle element 10 may be secured to the under side of rthe peak bar 8 of any iat top tent without interfering with the support of the tent by means of a center pole, if desirable. Y Y Y A When the side poles 12 and 13 and the center pole for supporting the tent by inserting the pin 49 or 50 on the upper endof the pole through the opening 24 in the upper wall `19 of saddle 14 and into the socket 30 in the peak bar 9.

support may be installed in the tent or yremoved therefrom without taking down the tent. VThis may be done by supporting the tent with one'of the poles 12 or 13 upon inserting rthe rpin 49 or 50 of the pole in the openinof 25 and socket 31, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 4. lhen the tent is supported in this manner there is more room in the tent back of the pole than there is when the pole is 'placed in the center of the tentas shown in Fig.2.v

Metalstraps 51 and 52 are extended around v the ends'o'f the bridge beams 36 and-37 respectively, .and .are provided with apertures 53 and 54 which coincide with the lower and upper1` ends respectively of the openings 47 and 48and take the wear off the pole pins'49 and', so that said pins will not wear out the 'openings 4S and 49; `Said straps 5l and 52 are securedtothe beams 36 and 37 by screws p 55;V K y fhile I have shown apreferred embodiment of my invention in the accompanying specificationand drawing, it will be understood that I may change or modify the saine `within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit thereof.

l/Vhat I claim is:

1. In a tent, in combination withthe'top4 frame of the tent, a'saddle secured to the under side of said frame, a 'bridge element comprising a head, a pair oft beams hinged to gether at their inner ends within said head and one of said beams being secured to said being secured tothe head, a projection on the' upper side of said head, said head being adapted to fit in said saddle with saidprojection fitting within the aperture in sai'd saddle, and positioning the head within the saddle,

. and a pair of poles located within the tent ad,-` j acent'the side walls thereof upon theupperl ends of which the ends of said beams are sup- 3. In a tent, vcombination 'withvra top; frame provided with means for supporting a tent thereon as a side pole tent and also provided with ineans to engage means for supporting a tent as a center pole tent and yincluding a saddle element secured to the under a bridfre element comprising a head,

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side, of said frame, and provided with two apertures, lone of said apertures being'in the centerv of the top and the other aperture bef' ing at one side of said center, said frame having sockets valined respectively with lsaid,v

apertures, a bridge elem-ent being adaptedto fit inV said socket element, and poles adapted to be placed withinthe tent adjacent the'side walls thereof upon'the upper ends'of which poles the bridge element is supported, there"` being pins on the upper ends of 4Said poles,

so that the pin on one pole' inay be iitted in either of said apertures and the socket alined therewith to enable saidpole tosupport the tentlwhen thel bridge element andtheothei` pole are not in use. y

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1.4. In a tent, the coinbination'of atop-frame A Y and means thereon adaptedvforpengagementff with lateral supporting means for .providing y a sideV pole tent andv also adapted 'for' engage-` ment with a'central Isupporting providing a center pole tentg'A- j man. aisaaouii,

means "for 

